← All careers

Business & Finance

Purchasing Managers

Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of buyers, purchasing officers, and related workers involved in purchasing materials, products, and services. Includes wholesale or retail trade merchandising managers and procurement managers.

Median salary (BLS)

$148,080

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$92k – $223k

Job outlook

+3% (about average)

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $112,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Purchasing Managers

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: Bachelor's degree

Plan my path to this →

How to qualify

Estimate

Cost to qualify

$40,500–$153,000

Time to qualify

4.5 yr

Renewal

—

  1. 1

    Bachelor's degree

    Degree

    Four years at public in-state rates — average published tuition & fees ≈ $11,610/yr, plus books. Private and out-of-state run higher; grant aid lowers most students' actual net price.

    $40,000–$150,000 · 4 years source

  2. 2

    Industry certification (optional for many roles)

    Certification

    Role-dependent — e.g. CPA, Series 7/65, PMP, SHRM. Not always required, but often expected for advancement.

    $500–$3,000 · 6 months source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Purchasing Managers" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Purchasing Managers Intern

    Internship

    $46,245

    ~4 mos to advance

  2. Junior Purchasing Managers

    Entry / Junior

    $92,490

    ~2 yrs to advance

  3. Purchasing Managers

    Established

    $148,080

    ~3 yrs to advance

  4. Senior Purchasing Managers

    Senior

    $185,680

Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.

Key skills

A typical day

  • •Develop and implement purchasing and contract management instructions, policies, and procedures.
  • •Locate vendors of materials, equipment or supplies, and interview them to determine product availability and terms of sales.
  • •Prepare bid awards requiring board approval.
  • •Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in buying, selling, and distributing materials, equipment, machinery, and supplies.
  • •Review purchase order claims and contracts for conformance to company policy.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Business & Finance

Explore all

Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.